Is image SEO the secret to ranking higher on Google?
Ever feel like Google’s looking down its figurative nose at your website? It’s no secret that Google has high standards. To impress the search engine, you’ve got to check all the items off your SEO to-do list – especially image SEO.
You might think image SEO seems like small potatoes, but images take up prime real estate in Google’s search results. Why pass up a chance to land on Google’s first page?
Here’s how to catch Google’s (and your target audience’s) eye.
4 image SEO tips you need to know:
1. Image SEO is all about quality
First and foremost, your photos have to look good – and they need to be relevant to your website. Pixelated or stretched out photos aren’t going to cut it. And don’t get us started on broken images!
Consider bringing on a graphic designer to create images that stand out and speak to your brand, or hire a photographer. You can even try tools like Snappa and Canva – they make it easy to create your own eye-catching graphics.
2. Get the right dimensions for your website
You want your website’s images to look good, but they need to load quickly as well. That means avoiding gigantic photo files at all costs – they slow down your loading speed. Ensure that every image doesn’t exceed your website’s maximum display dimensions.
File types also matter in image SEO. PNGs are high quality images – but their file size is often larger than JPEGs.
Keep in mind that you should compress your images before uploading. You can do this in Photoshop, or with tools like Smush.
3. Never skip out on alt text
Have you ever uploaded a photo to your website only to leave that “alt text” box empty? From this day forward, vow to never make that mistake again.
Every photo on your website should have alt text (a.k.a. a text-based description of each photo). Google needs alt text to understand your what’s going on in your image. When filling in those alt text descriptions, be specific, include details, ensure your description is relevant and incorporate keywords.
And while you’re at it, make sure the actual file names of your images are descriptive. This will give Google more information to work with, which will help improve your website’s ranking.
SEO is complicated, and it takes time, planning and a solid strategy to get Google’s attention. If your website is struggling to rise above the competition, book a call with us. We’d love to get your SEO strategy back on track!
Give your website an upgrade with these SEO tips: